Strong Hands
by just-Felton
Summary: Being exploited in his ministry job and feeling the need for someone to quench the loneliness in his life. What would you do in place of Draco Malfoy when a stranger’s letter lands on your table, while working overtime again? H/P, M/M, UST, WIP
1. May I introduce myself

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

Summary:  
Being exploited in his ministry job and feeling the need for someone to quench the loneliness in his life. What would you do in place of Draco Malfoy when a stranger's letter lands on your table, while working overtime again?

Warnings:  
H/D, M/M, Fluff, WAFF, sexually explicit, Anal, neither HBP nor DH complient  
NOT BETAD

A/N:  
This little, mostly plotless (I know that word didn't exist, but now it does, kay?) story popped into my head a while ago and I write on it for a while now – every time when I need a break from 'Barking Dogs Do Not Bite' to be precise.  
It won't be a story of epic proportions – not at all. Six or seven chapters and we're done with this little thing.  
As I already mentioned this is not meant to be profound and action-packed. Just something bitter-sweet to calm your nerves after a fierce story. hehe. So, no need to tell me that the plot's non-existent, cos I know it.  
I know there'll be many mistakes and awkward words, because the story's not proof-read, but please go easy on me with your complaints about it. I do give my best and I'm still learning. But nonetheless, please enjoy the story and tell me what you think about it.  
'Nough said.

**Strong Hands**  
xxxx **CHAPTER I** xxxx  
**'May I introduce myself'**

Draco Malfoy sat in his office in the Ministry of Magic and stared at the small clock on his desk, trying to will the small hands to move faster by sheer force of his will. But, to his chagrin, they seemed to budge not even an iota.

He growled lowly and slumped back in his desk chair. Another night spoiled with working overtime. If it would go on like this Pansy would never shut up. But how was he supposed to go out and meet people if he was damned to work overtime for all eternity?

She could talk. She had married Theodore right after graduation and spent her day with spending money. He, Draco, was entirely different. He had also inherited the money to spend, but couldn't stand to idle away his time. He needed to be busy and had decided on a regular employment at the Ministry.

Not that he found much excitement in his job, but days went by and that was the only thing that mattered. The disadvantage was those goddamn overtime hours that decimated the small free time he had even more.

And Pansy kept nagging and nagging that he had no time for his friends anymore and that he was living a reclusive life and that he needed to go out and find someone, even if it was just for the fun part, because he seemed sexually imbalanced and nag, nag, nag. She could go on for hours and hours, even though she knew he wasn't listening anymore, but talking with Blaise and Theo about Quidditch.

Of course that only happened when he met with his friends, what hadn't happened in a while… tada, his mind was back at his loathsome overtime hours. Maybe he should send Pansy and Blaise an owl and ask them to meet for dinner tomorrow, but they were probably already meeting someone else. Who would be at home on a Saturday night, except for one Draco Malfoy?

Maybe he could ask, if he could come… naaahh, the last time he had gone clubbing with them had ended in a full-blown disaster with Blaise lying on the floor with a bleeding nose and Theo trying to deter his wife from jumping another bloke and scratching his eyes with her freshly manicured nails out. Pansy had again tried to pair him up with a bloke she thought would be perfect for him. The idiot had just forgotten to mention that he was engaged with another man, who was about two metres tall and one metre broad.

Maybe they had some time on Sunday for lunch. Draco grabbed a quill and some parchment with the Ministry's letterhead on top. He penned a small note for Pansy and Theo and another one for Blaise, asking if they would like to have lunch with him on Sunday.

He got up and went to his window to call his eagle owl that always eagerly waited for something to deliver. He opened the window, but before he could call Hugo, his owl, another small owl flew unsteadily through his window and tumbled on his desk over. Draco lifted his eyebrows in wonder, but called Hugo before taking care of the other owl.

His personal owl was on its way to Pansy and Blaise and he scrutinised the much smaller owl. It looked ruffled and worn out and he had no idea where this owl belonged to. It definitely was no Ministry owl and none of his friends' ones.

Draco untied the neatly folded letter from its leg and gave it some water and food. He broke the seal of wax that looked like an emblem he had seen before, but he wasn't certain. The blond opened the letter and read.

_xxx__  
Hello Thomas,  
I'm really sorry, but I've to cancel our appointment for today. I know you said you needed the massage really badly, but my housekeeper broke my massage table today. Please, don't ask how she did it, I Have No Idea!  
If your back still aches and you can't wait until I've a new table, I could give you the address of a friend.  
I'm sorry!_

_Bye, James  
xxx_

Draco looked at the letter and snorted amused. How could someone break a massage table? Did they weigh five hundred pounds and jumped on the table? He leaned back against the backrest of his chair and sighed. A massage… oh, that would be just perfect now. He hadn't had one in ages and his muscles were tense, especially his shoulders felt sometimes sore.

He grabbed another piece of parchment and pondered what he could write in response. Apparently the letter wasn't meant for him.

_xxx  
Hello James,  
(I'm sorry for the rudeness, but I don't know how to address you otherwise)  
I really regret to have to tell you that I'm not Thomas, because I feel in dire need for some relaxation and a massage sounds just perfect at the moment, but if your table is anyway broken… (seriously, how did she do it?)  
I don't know why, but your tiny owl tumbled in my office. I'll send her back to you when she's feeling better._

_Bye  
xxx  
_  
He didn't bother to sign the letter. There was no need to, was there? Draco got up from his desk when the letter was safely tucked in an envelope and left for the Ministry owlery since Hugo wasn't back from his tour yet.

On the way up the stairs and down along some halls he wondered why he was even bothering to tell this James that his owl had messed things up. But some little voice in his head forced him to react and it definitely killed some time.

Draco decided on a pretty and eager owl. He tied the letter to its leg and it was off without waiting for any instructions like it sensed where to take the letter. The blond meandered back and when he eventually reached his office he decided that it was time to call it a day. He closed the opened folders on his desk, pocketed his belongings and checked again on the tiny owl. It looked lively and energetic and Draco decided to send it back to its owner.

xxXxx

Draco opened the door to his flat and was immediately confronted with an angry house-elf and his angry owl fighting over a letter. They didn't even notice his appearance and he rubbed his forehead to maybe release some of the stress he felt growing inside of him.

"Scone!" Draco said sharply and the elf froze in its motions. She (yes, it was a she) let go of the corner of the letter she had held tightly with her tiny hands and looked up at her master with huge watery blue eyes. "May you care to enlighten me what's going on here?" He said and calmly watched when his house-elf bowed low and almost touched the wood flooring with her aubergine-shaped nose.

"Master. Scone, is sorry, sir. Really sorry, sir."

"Scone." Draco softly chided the elf and took his cloak off to hang it into the closet, before picking Hugo off the floor and untying the letters from his left leg.

"Master, the owl didn't let Scone take the letters. It hurt Scone with its beak." The tiny creature sulked and flapped its ears to show Draco the bleeding cut on its right bat-winged ear.

Draco scowled at Hugo and kneeled down in front of his house-elf. "You two are incorrigible." He said and patted Scone's head affectionately, that the elf gave him a broad smile. "How often do I've to tell you to stop fighting? You two need to stop being so pig-headed."

He got up and Hugo took off to his bird perch in the living room.

"Would Master like to have some supper?" Scone asked and followed the blond into the living room. Draco looked at his wrist watch and shook his head.

"No thank you, but I'd like to have a butterbeer." Scone nodded and vanished into the kitchen. It was always the same. When her Master came home late from work, he never ate supper and it upset the female house-elf. She was concerned about him and wanted him to be happy. But he rarely seemed happy. Scone knew she was just a little house-elf that was treated very well by her Master, but she was smart and knew that Lord Malfoy was lonely.

Draco heard the silent 'pop' that announced Scone was back with his beer and smiled when she also put a plate with fruits on the coffee table. "Scone." The elf looked up and flapped her ears nervously. "Don't you dare punish yourself now. Thank you for the fruits." The elf nodded with a shy smile and vanished.

The letters had been from Pansy and Blaise, who had, to his delight, agreed to meet on Sunday for lunch. Pansy asked if it would be okay if they brought Jonathan or if she should bring him to his grandparents. Actually Draco didn't mind either way as long he could spend some quality time with his best friends. Besides, his godson was a little rascal and had his parents, with his one year, already wrapped around his little finger.

Draco grinned when he toed off his shoes and stretched out on the sofa. He knew that he could be partly blamed for Jonathan's behaviour, but as a godfather he had the right to spoil the boy rotten, hadn't he? Taking a sip from his butterbeer, he grabbed the remote control for his hifi-system with his free hand and pressed the power button.

At least Muggles were useful for some things, he thought for the umpteenth time when his favourite music began to play softly. How had he ever survived without his hifi-system?

Malfoy closed his eyes and sighed. Another Friday night alone at home – if you didn't count Hugo and Scone. But what should he do? He wasn't made for loud, overcrowded places like clubs and otherwise he didn't know how to get to know new people and maybe even find this special someone.

He closed his eyes to enjoy the music and forget those depressing thoughts for a moment when a sharp crack was heard at his balcony window. With an irritated sigh Draco got up of the sofa and opened the balcony door for the owl that was alien to him. He had thought it would be Pansy's, again asking if it was okay now to bring Jonathan or not. Sometimes she could purposely pester someone like that and there was only so much you could do about it.

Looking closer at the owl, when it landed on the backrest of one armchair, he noticed it as the Ministry owl he had used to send a note to the masseur, some hours ago. His eyebrows narrowed automatically, but he handed the owl a treat nevertheless, before untying the letter.

This time the envelope wasn't closed with a seal of wax, but bore the same emblem as an embossed printing. 'Strong Hands' was printed under the emblem in flourish writing. Now he remembered the emblem. He had seen it many times in the Daily Prophet in an advertisement. So, James was a fully-fledged masseur? At least that suggested the ad.

_xxx__  
Hello stranger,  
I don't mind if you call me James, but don't you think it's a bit impolite to keep your name a secret in return?  
Well, you're working at the ministry, eh? Hopefully the owl will find you, cos I don't think you're still at work, are you?  
Thank you for writing me about Cete's little mistake and taking care of her. It was her first delivery ever and she was a bit overeager._

_I really can't tell you what my housekeeper did to my massage table, but when I got home from grocery shopping the padding was ripped open that the foam welled out. She was even impudent enough to argue that my dog had done it, but considering that he's broken his leg a week ago, that's highly unlikely._

_Of course, I fired her immediately and we're going our separate ways now. I tell you, this day had turned out as a complete disaster. At first got my 100 Galleons massage table destroyed and now I'm without a housekeeper. I could use a massage myself now. Brilliant, isn't it?_

_Actually I just wanted to say thank you and now I mither you already with my problems. Sorry.  
So, again, thank you for taking care of Cete. I hope you're not that stressed anymore, otherwise I'd offer you a massage, but, well, you know my problem._

_Bye,  
James  
xxx_  
(A/N: 100Galleons are approximately 500£)

Draco folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. He didn't know why, but he was smiling and the stupid smile didn't want to go away. James' day seemed to be much worse than his own and felt a bit sorry for the man. He sounded quite nice and the way he wrote awoke Draco's interest. Maybe they could keep in touch and talk a bit. Of course, he had his friends, but sometimes it was easier to write a letter.

Oh, what was he thinking here? He'd only gotten one personal letter from James and already thought about turning him into his pen pal? He definitely needed to get out more often. Draco let the Ministry owl out of the balcony door and went into his bedroom to fetch a quill and parchment from his escritoire.

_xxx__  
Hello James,  
and here I thought I was famous enough to get recognised by my handwriting. No, seriously, I'm sorry. I didn't think it necessary, because I hadn't expected a response from you.  
There's no need to thank me, I just hope Cete found safely back to you after I send her home when I called it a day._

_Did your house… eh, ex-housekeeper find anything in your massage table you tried to hide? Maybe she expected some money. It had been your only table, hadn't it? For me it would be catastrophic if I couldn't work, even if just for a couple of days. Noooo, I'm no workaholic.  
Do you have enough money to buy a new table? Or do you know someone who could lend you some?_

_Maybe you should take a day or two off, until you get a new table. My grandmother would have said that it was fate and that one need to accept it._

_Bye,  
Draco (yep, that's my name)  
xxx_

Draco knew he tried at any cost to appear witty and smart with this letter, when he reread it. But who cared he wouldn't hear of James anymore, anyway. He called for Hugo and sent him with the letter off through the bedroom window.

xxXxx

He had been wrong. All Saturday they had sent letters to and fro and he got to know James' 'real' owl Severe. James had named the owl so, because he never saw her laughing and Draco wondered if he had _ever_ seen an owl laugh.

He learned that James _was_ 'Strong Hands'. It was his business and he worked always alone. Apparently 'Strong Hand's' services were by now so extremely sought-after that you only got an appointment if you knew someone who was already a client of James.

Lucky bastards, Draco had thought when he had read that specific letter, wishing he'd get a massage from James. The idea to ask the male for an appointment had crossed his mind more than once, but he always dismissed it as a stupid idea. He didn't want to bug James.

He had told James that he considered giving his momentary Ministry employment up for the training to become an Unspeakable or Potions Master. The paperwork made him sick and he thought he turned into a dim-witted person. And he didn't even want to start about the overtime hours.

In return he got to know that James had enough money to buy a new massage table, but it would take about two weeks until he'd get it, because he had decided to order a custom-made one that was more expensive than his old one, but much more comfortable for the clients and healthier for his back. And NO, he hadn't hid anything in the padding.

James' dog was called Dust, because he was a Great Dane with blue coat colour. Yes, exactly, blue. James had then enlightened him that it wasn't an ocean blue or sky blue like many people thought when they heard 'blue', but a steel blue that looked more like grey.

So he had told him about Hugo and Scone. Not that Scone was a pet. And James had laughed and he had needed to explain that Scone was Scone, because she refused to eat anything but sweets.

And he had learned that he and James were the same age and that he was single, what made the 25 year old even more interesting for him. But not once did he mention if he liked women or men, but it was probably much too early to tell or ask about such personal things.

All that, had he learned in one and a half day and now, even though he was around his friends and had just had a wonderful lunch, he couldn't stop thinking about James. Blaise and Theo stood on the balcony, smoking and talking, while he and Pansy were in the living room with her sitting on the sofa and him sitting on the floor with a sleeping Jonathan in his lap.

"Draco?" the young mother said softly and smiled at the picture of Jonathan sleeping, cuddled to his godfather.

"Hm?" Draco's hand didn't stop stroking the dark, short locks that grew already on the tiny head.

"It's good to have the old you back." Draco's head snapped up and he looked at his best friend with one raised eyebrow. "I definitely won't complain about it, heaven forbid, but you seem much happier today than the last times we met. Did something good happen?" Her lips curved into a delighted smirk. "Or should I ask about someone?"

"No, it's not like that, Panse." Draco assured her and hoped she wouldn't notice that he looked everywhere but at her. Of course, fate was ruthless and didn't like liars. Just as he had spoken the last word and Pansy was about to tell him that she didn't believe him, an owl flew through the open balcony door and landed on the armrest of the sofa.

"Severe." The blond said affectionately and missed Pansy's confused look. He cradled Jonathan in his arms and stood slowly up to take the letter out of Severe's beak. Blaise and Theo came back inside and didn't even try to hide their curiosity.

"Who's that from?" Blaise asked boldly and caused Draco to sigh heavily.

"It's from his new lover."

"PANSY!" Draco screeched and Jonathan began crying in his arms.

"Now you did it. Look what you've done." Pansy grumbled and took the small, crying bundle out of Draco's arms. She glared at him, while snatching the dummy for Jonathan, but failed to intimidate Draco at all.

"It's not my fault that you start spreading lies." The blond huffed and slumped down on the sofa to snatch Jonathan out of the mother's arms to calm him down. That was much easier than listening to Pansy's raving.

"So, who sent that letter, then?" The only girl of the group asked exasperated and couldn't believe her ears and eyes that her son –HER SON- loved it more to be in his godfather's arms than his mother's, her, arms.

"His name's James." Draco said quietly and kept his gaze fixed to his godson that he didn't need to face the dirty grins of his friends. He heard Pansy taking a deep breath and went on, before she could start her salvo of, probably embarrassing, questions. "He's a masseur and his owl landed mistakenly in my office with a letter to cancel an appointment with someone else and I sent him a quick note to tell him what had gone wrong. Well, and we kept writing."

Suddenly brave enough to face his friends he looked up at them with stoic calmness he didn't feel inside. Blaise and Theo grinned impishly – Draco hadn't expected else. Pansy, on the other hand smiled at him. "Do you like him?"

"Panse." Draco cried. "I just know him for one day and not even that good, because we've only exchanged a handful of letters. He could have lied in every letter." The blond young man gasped and threw his hand over his mouth. He hadn't thought about that before. "Oh god, what, if he lies?" He whispered and felt a strong hand landing on his shoulder. He looked up, at the unsmiling face of Blaise Zabini.

"Then we will kick his arse." He said seriously and it had the desired effect – Draco smiled. "Well, now that we're already talking about love and probable lovers – hey, no need to kill me with your looks, Draco, but you want that stranger." Blaise teased the blond, when he glared dangerously at him. Draco knew that it was a lost war to argue, he pursed his lips to show his disapproval about that choice of word, but kept otherwise quiet.

"What I wanted to say," Blaise started again. "is that I got to know someone as well… well re-know," the tall, buff man waited a moment that felt like hours, but when the choice of word didn't seem to have the dreaded impact he went on far more relaxed. "… and I want you to meet her next weekend. So, eurm, how 'bout dinner on Saturday, that way we could plan Draco's birthday party for the weekend after next."

Pansy clapped her hands as if she was a school girl again and grinned goofily. "So many wonderful news in one afternoon. How is she? Who is she?"

All of a sudden Draco handed his godson back over to his mother and stood up. "There'll be no party. I've no ti…"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy! Don't you dare end that sentence!" Pansy barked and the three men thought Narcissa Malfoy stood in the room. The young mother handed Jonathan over to her husband and stalked over to her best friend. That the baby boy was handed around like a doll, didn't seem to bug him, for he giggled and squealed in his daddy's arms loudly.

Pansy poked her finely manicured index finger in his chest that it hurt more than a bit. "You, mister, will have a birthday party the weekend after next and you will be happy about it!"

"But… but Pansyyyy." Draco whined and backed up against a wall. Damn, he was caught.

"No, Draco, NO! You've already backed out last year, telling some rubbish about overtime hours and some such bollocks. And that had been your twenty-fifth, an important birthday signalling that you're a quarter of a century old…"

"Don't remind me." Draco butted in and received another sharp poke of Pansy's long nails.

"You. Will. Celebrate." She insisted and poked one and the same spot with every word.

"Yes, mum." Draco caved in and rubbed his sore chest when Pansy took a step back, a satisfied expression on her face.

xxXxx

TBC

Opinions??


	2. Entry: Blaise’s new girlfriend and

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

**Warning**: NOT BETAD!!

**A/N**: Hello girls and boys! (I seriously wonder how many men are reading this. Feedback please. grin.) Thank you for all the wonderful reviews you bestowed on me. They were throughout positive and it made me really happy to read that you can cope with my English.  
I'm tinkering at an email-alert at the moment, so if you should be interested in it, there'll be some information about it in the next chapter.

**Strong Hands  
**xxxx **CHAPTER II **xxxx**  
'Entry: Blaise's new girlfriend and her best friend'**

The week went by fairly quickly, what probably was again caused by all the overtime hours. He had worked his arse again off and this time it was even worse, because he had needed to squeeze the work of six days into five to have Saturday off.

The only thing that had probably kept him halfway sane had been James' letters, that always seemed to flutter in when he needed a distraction or rest the most. And to his horror he had more than once been a whining and moaning pain in the… neck about his job and how he hated overtime hours.

And every time the owl had left his office he had wanted to hit himself for writing so much bollocks and probably scaring the only interesting male in ages off, but the owl returned every time and always with a cute, lovely letter that encouraged him with words and made him smile.

Pansy and Blaise were right. He had a thing for a stranger he only knew due to some letters that could, by all he knew, be fake from first to last word. He slowly needed to admit that or otherwise he'd be at risk of loosing the last bit of sanity he had managed to keep somehow in tact.

Tuesday. Tuesday had been the worst until then. He had thought he had hit rock bottom when he had almost thrown himself out of the window, trying to catch the owl and pull it back in. That he could have used his wand hadn't even crossed his mind in that moment. With Gryffindor courage, he didn't own – so it was probably more like Dutch courage, although he had been sober, he had asked James in a letter how he looked like and of course he hadn't caught the ruddy owl and it had flown off to deliver the parchment piece of doom.

Much later that day, when he was finally at home, he knew he hadn't hit rock bottom with the unintended suicide attempt, but now that he stood under the shower and wanked to the images he had created with James's descriptions of himself. On the one hand he had afterwards felt like a total pervert, on the other hand he hadn't felt that relaxed in a long time.

But what would you have done, if you were gay, unbalanced (aka sexually starved) and had gotten a personal description that sounded like the man of your dreams? Precisely!

If James really looked like he said he did, he, Draco, definitely needed to get an appointment with the man. Or maybe not. It would probably be his undoing one way or another. If he wouldn't look like the man he imagined, Draco knew he wouldn't trust anyone new in a long time. And if he, by chance, had spoken the truth and looked like the Greek god he imagined, Draco knew his little heart would break, because he couldn't have him.

Dark, long hair. Tall (to be precise, taller than Draco). Fit, because he needed strength for his profession. And, to quote him, 'a broad chest to lie on - it has been tested…', unquote.

Draco didn't know why James had mentioned _that_. Was it to tease him? Was it a description he always used for himself? (If so… what kind of macho was he writing to?) But he definitely knew that he felt jealousy he hadn't felt in a while of those who had 'tested' that chest-pillow.

And to his shame he had to admit that it hadn't remained by that one time under the shower. Actually, from Tuesday on, every time an owl brought him a new letter from James, he knew he was blushing heavily, but at the same time feeling the sudden tightness in his pants. At those moments he thanked every deity that he wore robes and not just trousers.

Late Saturday afternoon he stood in front of his full-body mirror and sighed for the umpteenth time. That man was driving him insane and he didn't even know why. They didn't talk about anything but trifles and everyday life, so why was he so smitten with James and couldn't get him out of his system? Maybe the 'stranger-factor' made him more interesting than he actually was. Maybe Draco was just desperate for any attention he could get.

He had no idea and it was depressing him. Again he called up the image of the other man he'd created in his mind and sighed again. Why hadn't he told him his eye-colour? He couldn't imagine a face without eyes and had tried brown, grey, blue, but nothing seemed to fit. That James hadn't said anything about the description he'd gotten about Draco, unsettled the blond as well and put another stone to the weight he already felt on his shoulders and heart.

He buttoned the cuffs of his black shirt and shook his head as if shaking the bad mood off. He needed to be happy tonight or Pansy wouldn't leave him alone and bug him until he snapped. He didn't want to snap, or Pansy would make him pay for it – dearly. He grabbed his jacket and used the floo network to Blaise's flat.

xXx

"Hey, hun." Pansy greeted him, when he stepped elegantly out of the fireplace and enveloped him immediately in a tight hug. "How's your week been?" she asked after seeing him for the first time after last weekend.

"Busy." He said without further explanations and let go of his best friend. She didn't approve of too many overtime hours because she thought it would turn him into a wreck, and maybe that wasn't that far-fetched, but that was no good enough reason to bear with her nagging about it.

"Where's the rest?" he asked quickly to change the topic and threw his jacket over the sofa backrest.

"Oh, we're all on the balcony, because it's such a nice evening. I just heard the chime, because I came from the bathroom." Draco nodded and they went through the living room to the kitchen that led to the balcony. Once inside the spacious kitchen Pansy grabbed Draco's elbow and held him back for a moment. The blond only lifted one eyebrow and looked at the young woman.

"I, eurm, thought it would be best to give you a small warning." Draco's eyebrows scrunched up and he wondered what the warning would be about. "Blaise's new girlfriend is here."

"Yes, I know." said the blond nonchalantly. "That's the reason why we're here, right?"

"You won't believe who the girl is." Pansy said quietly.

"Oh come on, Panse, it can't be that bad. As long it's not Crabe or Goyle that have undergone a sex change it can't be that shocking." He said amused and twisted his neck to get a look at the balcony, but Pansy grabbed his head with both hands and forced his look back on her.

"No, it's not THAT bad, but she's a Gryffindor."

"Yeah, right. Of course." Draco snorted and wound his head out of Pansy's hands. He went backwards, keeping his eyes on Pansy that she wouldn't pull him back again, until he stood in the doorframe of the balcony door. "Really funny, Panse, as if he would date… GRANGER." The blond exclaimed when he saw the female third of the former Golden Trio, standing on the balcony.

She didn't look anymore like the Granger he knew from Hogwarts eight years ago, but it was without a doubt the know-it-all Hermione Granger. Her breasts were bigger, her hips were curvier, her hair was longer, blonder and not frizzy anymore, but all in all it was still Granger.

"Oh, hi, Malfoy." The former Gryffindor said and smiled nervously at him. Blaise stood up from his chair and got behind Hermione in a reassuring manner. He whispered something in her ear and pushed her slightly forward. Draco, who still stood in the doorframe, felt Pansy's form behind himself and stumbled forward when she gave him a push.

"Draco,…" Blaise began with a broad grin, but Malfoy could see the fear in his eyes. Pah, as if he would make a scene because of the girl. He had grown up over the last years. What did his friends think of him? That he still enjoyed preposterous little insult games? Oh, please, where should he take the energy from?

"… this is Hermione. Hermione, this is Draco." The young woman reached her right hand tentatively out and smiled warily.

"Hello… Draco." The blond lifted his eyebrows at hearing his first name coming out of the Gryffindor's mouth and looked down at the outstretched hand. He looked back up again and saw Blaise's pleading, begging puppy eyes staring at him.

Oh, damn it, he had gotten soft in his old days, he thought when he sighed and took Granger's hand to shake it. "Hello… Her…mione." He thought Blaise's face would split in two when he smiled.

They took their seats and Draco could finally greet Theo, who had stayed out of the whole 'commotion', always being the calm, cool and collected of the quartet. Jonathan wasn't with them today, but got spoiled by his paternal grandparents.

"So, Gra… sorry, old habit," Hermione dismissed it with a smile. "so what happened to Weasel and you?" Draco asked, when he poured himself a glass of wine. He wasn't bothered when Blaise glared at him; he had expected that much and only concentrated on Granger.

Hermione looked calmly at him and took a sip from her glass. "There had never been a 'Ron and I'. We've always only been friends – very close ones, but only friends nevertheless." Draco's eyes betrayed his surprise, but he kept his mouth further shut.

xXx

He was sure he would never ever admit it outside of this little group, but Hermione was nice. A good conversationalist, with an intriguing black humour he hadn't ever expected from a Gryffindor. They got, truth be spoken, fairly good along and seemed to astound not only themselves, but the other three as well with this revelation.

They had enjoyed a delicious dinner on the balcony and had moved into the living room, now that it got a bit chilly outside. They took their seats and Draco hadn't been quick enough to hide the pain in his eyes, when Hermione sat in Blaise's lap and Pansy and Theo snuggled up together on a loveseat. He felt like the proverbial fifth wheel.

Hermione saw the look and knew from the very first second what it meant. She had seen it often enough in the eyes of her best friend. She sat up in Blaise's lap and turned to Draco, who had decided to sit on a fluffy rug in front of the fireplace.

"So, Draco, Blaise told me you wanted to plan your birthday party for next weekend. What are your plans?"

The blond just wanted to protest, telling Hermione that he hadn't intended to plan anything, when Pansy squealed loudly and sat up.

"Yes, let's plan the party. I almost forgot." The young mother cried excitedly and conjured notebook and quill to pen everything down. Draco just rolled his eyes and lay down on the rug. He had no say in this one way or another, so the easiest was to let Pansy have her will and accept that there'd be a party for him.

Staring up at the ceiling of Blaise's flat and hearing his friends talk excitedly about a party for him, he didn't even want, mind you, his mind began to wander and landed, like so often in the last days, on James. This morning he, once again, had gotten a letter wishing him a good morning and a wonderful day.

Sometimes he needed to remind himself that he didn't know James and would probably never know. So many small things they'd shared so far, so many beautiful words he had gotten from him, so many wonderful dreams – it all made him believe that James was real and with him and not just a pile of many pieces of paper that could be lies, and nothing but lies.

"Draco?" he blinked a couple of times and his eyes focused back on the ceiling. "Dracooo?"

"Huh?" He heard Pansy chuckle and finally looked over to the sofas.

"Are you finally with us?" Pansy asked sweetly

"What is it, Panse?"

"We're poring over the guest list and I wondered if you'd like to invite your masseur?" The young woman asked and wasn't the only one that leered at him openly.

Draco almost choked on his own spit when he inhaled sharply and sat up hastily at the same time. "Are you off your frigging trolley? I will not invite James. He'll think I've finally lost my mind."

"Oh, don't get a knot in your wand. It would be the perfect opportunity to meet him the first time. You wouldn't be alone with him."

While Pansy kept arguing with the annoyed Malfoy heir that he should invite a stranger to a party he wasn't fond of, Hermione turned to Blaise and leaned close to him. The last sentences had sent off an alert in her mind.

"Love, what are they talking about?" she whispered close to his ear and pressed a kiss to the spot beneath it."

"Oh, it's not much. Draco's in denial, as always. He got something like a pen pal, because he had gotten an owl that wasn't for him and now he won't admit that he has a thing for the stranger." Blaise explained and tightened his arms around Hermione's waist when she snuggled closer to his chest.

"And that pal's called James?" Hermione pressed on and the frown on her face deepened when Blaise nodded affirmatively.

"Yup, he said he's a masseur. Have you ever seen this 'Strong Hands' ad in the Daily Prophet?" Hermione nodded slowly, her eyes not betraying her thoughts that raced around in her mind at light speed. "Strong Hands is this James' business."

All of a sudden Hermione jumped up off Blaise's lap and everyone stopped talking to look at her in confusion. She tripped around the coffee table and almost fell over Draco, who still sat on the floor.

"I… I… oh, look how late it's already. Blaise you know, Harry promised to pick me up when he leaves Ron's, I'll just meet him half-way." Before she could hurry to grab her coat and shoes, Blaise's arm wrapped around her waist and held her close to the broad chest.

"No, you won't. I won't let you go alone. You'll wait here until Potter shows up." As if on cue the doorbell rang and Hermione wound out of Blaise's embrace and hurried over to the door of the flat. The three other Slytherins looked at Blaise with the same questioning expression, but the young man could only shrug cos he was as clueless.

"Harry." Hermione greeted her friend with a voice that the brunette didn't know if he should make a bolt or not. "Come in. I just need to get my coat and shoes." Rather reluctantly the former Golden Boy stepped over the threshold and protested quietly, when Hermione dragged him into the living room.

Four curious eye pairs stared at him and he lifted his right hand to wave rather charily at the four Slytherins. "Hullo." He greeted them lamely and looked frantically around when he didn't anymore feel Hermione's hand on his back, only to see that she wasn't behind him anymore. He turned back to the other four and smiled sheepishly.

"Hello, Potter. Long time no see." Blaise said and Harry sighed in relief that the suffocating silence was over.

"But it would be a lie if you would tell you missed me." Blaise laughed and went over to shake hands with the brunette.

"True. True. Thanks for picking her up. I don't know why she likes to walk instead of using the floo system."

"No problem, your flat's on my way back home anyway."

"Hello, Potter." Pansy greeted and pushed her way around Blaise's big form to extend her hand. She smiled friendly and Harry was a bit suspicious, but dismissed it and shook her hand.

"Hello, Parkinson."

"Actually, Nott, now." Pansy turned aside that Harry could see Theodore sit on the loveseat, friendly waving at him. "My wonderful hubby." Pansy cooed at him and Harry and Blaise snorted amused. Draco still sat on the rug in front of the fireplace and stared openly at Harry.

"Hello, Malfoy." Harry said quietly when he noticed the stare. He even smiled a bit at the blond, but it faltered, when Malfoy turned away and had nothing more to say than "Potter." in this cold voice that Harry still remembered from school, even though it had already been eight years ago.

Hermione rested her hand on Harry's back and peeked around him. "I'm ready." She said to no one in particular and squeezed through the gap between the doorframe and Harry, to get into the living room and wrap her arms around Blaise. "Thank you for the nice evening. Will you call me tomorrow?"

Blaise only nodded and kissed her good-night, before she said her goodbyes to the other Slytherins. She squat in front of Draco and smiled. "Thank you for allowing me to see the real Draco Malfoy. I hope we will see each other again soon."

Draco looked a bit surprised for a moment, but nodded. "Yes, it was a pleasure to meet you. And if Blaise doesn't invite you to my blasted party, you're now invited by me, okay?" Hermione grinned and wrapped her arms around a stunned Malfoy heir.

xxXxx

TBC

Opinions? Thoughts?


	3. Happy Birthday, Draco darling

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

**Warning**: NOT BETAD!!, language

**A/N:** Thank you for all the brilliant reviews I got for the last chapter. It makes me really happy that you like this little story so much, even though it's not overly exciting. Some things will be revealed in this chapter, so I won't stop you from reading any longer. Have fun!

**P.S.** Please read my note at the end of the chapter. Thank you!

**Strong Hands  
xxxx CHAPTER III xxxx  
'Happy Birthday, Draco darling'**

"Harry James sodding Potter." Hermione growled when they were out of the house and on their way home.

"Two middle names? To what do I owe this honour?" Harry mocked, having expected an outburst all the time since Hermione had greeted him at the door of Blaise's flat.

"Don't, Potter, or this will turn ugly." Hermione threatened and Harry could see that she was serious when her jaw tightened.

"Okay, Mione, what have I done?" He sighed and mainly hoped his ears would remain mostly unharmed after Hermione would be done yelling.

"What you've done? You're playing with the heart of another man and ask me what you've done? Harry how could you? Even though it's Malfoy. But you know what? He's changed – quite a lot actually. He's great."

"Don't you think I know that already? I've read his letters, Hermione. Okay?" Harry snapped, having enough of the woman's unjustified accusations. "One of my letters landed by accident in his hands and he wrote me without signing his letter. What do you think how shocked I was when he told me later his name is Draco? Hoping that it would be another Draco, would've been stupid. The name's too rare and you and I know that there's only one Draco working for the Ministry."

Hermione frowned a bit when she saw how agitated her best friend was. His hand ran time and again through his messy hair and turned the intended 'just-shagged' look into something that equalled a bird's nest. The other hand scratched his right thigh nervously and grabbed the jeans' fabric with thumb and index-finger every so often.

"This bothers you a lot, huh?" Hermione asked softly, suddenly feeling sympathy instead of anger for her friend.

"Of course it does." Harry said grimly and laughed drily to underline how much it bothered him. "When I found out that he was Draco, I didn't dare tell him. He'd have instantly stopped writing me and… and I didn't want that. And now it's too late. If he'd ever find out he wouldn't just hate me as Harry, but as James as well and I think I couldn't take that." The brunette said grief-stricken.

"Oh my, Harry. I think, this time it's you who's in dire need of a massage, eh?" Hermione said jokingly, trying to lift the mood a bit.

"That's something a massage can't mend – unfortunately." The former Golden Boy admitted and sounded like he really regretted that a massage wouldn't help with such problem. Hermione took his hand and forced him to a stop. She turned around to look at him, but didn't let go of his hand.

"Harry," she said earnestly and looked up at him. The light of the street lamp that was next to them, was in an angle that underlined every worry line in his face and Hermione saw how much strain all this put on him. "you need to tell him."

"Mione…"

"No, wait. You'll hurt him more the longer you wait. Harry, Draco Malfoy is about to fall in love with James, even though he hadn't met him once. I haven't read one of your letters, but the things I've heard tonight are totally you. You even told him about Dust, who you treat like your child. Harry, you are James, Draco falls in love with you."

The brunette looked nervously aside and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I, eurm… would you hate me, if I… if I would say that I had… hoped… for it?" Even though he wasn't looking at his friend, he could tell that Hermione needed to collect her jaw off the street.

"Are you serious?" Hermione whispered. She squeezed his hand comfortingly and hoped he would finally look at her. They continued their way home. Harry looked over to Hermione and saw a faint smile on her lips.

"I… yes, I'm serious." Harry said with determination. "I liked Draco for quite a while now and went almost crazy with happiness about the way fate had chosen, but now…" Hermione squealed excited and threw her arms around a startled Harry. They had by now reached Hermione's block of flats and stood in front of the front door. Harry hoped no one had been woken by Hermione's squealing.

"I knew it. I knew it. I knew it." She cried excitedly and this time Harry really feared suffering sudden deafness.

"You knew that I fancy a Malfoy?" The brunette asked astounded with big, round eyes and sighed in relief, when Hermione let go of him and he heard no tinnitus in his left ear.

"No, and I could smack you for not telling me," She said, still exhilarated and rummaged in her handbag for her keys. "but I had a suspicion that you're gay." She opened the front door and hit the light switch to lighten the hallway.

"You… you had?" Harry asked gobsmacked, too shocked to step into the hallway.

"Yup, sometimes it was quite obvious. You know, staring at another male's arse while you're shopping with me isn't the smartest if you want to hide your orientation." Hermione teased and grabbed Harry's arm to pull him inside the building.

He trudged after her with a beet-red face when they climbed the stairs and didn't know what to say. He hadn't thought that the night would take such turn and that he would have a coming-out the hardcore way. "You know, I talked to Ron about it, and…"

The brunette jumped out of his inner dialogues. "YOU WHAT?" he cried and clamped his hand over his mouth. Shit, shit, shit, hopefully no one had woken up; Hermione's neighbours could sometimes be a bit 'resolute'. "Have you gone mad?" he hissed and hurried up the last flight of stairs to Hermione's flat.

"I talked to Ron." The young woman simply repeated. "And we're both a bit disappointed that you try to hide such important fact from us. I mean, it's a part of you and you don't need to hide anything of you, Harry." She added after a moment and opened her flat's door.

"So, eurm, Ron knows as well?" Harry asked sheepishly. Hermione sighed and turned back around to him.

"Yes, Harry, he knows, everyone would have known after you've told them in complete intoxication that they have a nice arse." She said with a dirty grin and watched in delight when her best friend groaned pitifully and leaned against the door frame.

"Please tell me you're having me on. Please." He begged and buried his face in his hands.

"Nope, can't do that. It happened on Ginny's last birthday, but don't worry he laughed it away with unexpected ease."

"So… you don't mind me being… gay?" he whispered, but Hermione could hear the hope in his voice. She pulled him closer and wrapped him in a tight hug that was returned enthusiastically.

"I know this sounds so cliché, but we're happy, if you're happy. We worried all the time why you never showed interest in all the women that approached you when we were out clubbing, you hid it quite good then. You should have told us, and you should tell Draco."

The happiness of having his secret off his chest deflated immediately and his face fell. "I can't, Mione." Harry said sadly and let go of her.

"Of course you can. If you want him, get him. Don't hold back because of Ron and me."

"He'll hate me. I can't just apparate to his flat, ring the bell and say, when he opens his door, 'Hello Draco, just for your information I am the James you're writing letters with and I'd like to shag you senseless.' That would work just perfectly." Harry said sarcastically and pursed his lips.

"Well that would be a start."

"Mione!" The former Golden Boy whined and wasn't in the least amused when she laughed softly.

"If I come up with a good idea, do you promise me to tell him the truth?" She asked, suddenly void of any amusement. "I'll help you, but you need to tell him. This will eat you up, Harry."

"I… I…"

"Harry, please."

"Can I sleep a night over it?"

"Okay." The young woman gave in, in hope Harry would come to understand that this situation was far from healthy. "Go home and get some sleep." She added and hugged him again. "I love you. Good night."

"Night Mione. And thank you for talking." Harry said with a small smile and left.

xXx

"Have you seen Potter?" Draco asked the moment the door closed behind Hermione and Harry. The other three Slytherins turned towards him and looked at him in question.

"Of course, hun, he just had stood in the doorway a moment ago." Pansy said mockingly and flopped back down on the seat next to Theo.

"I know that, Panse." The blond groused. He still sat on the floor, with his back to the fireplace and looked at the sitting room suite. "I meant if you've seen how he looked like?"

"Of course, hun, he just had stood in the doorway a moment ago." Blaise parroted overly sweetly and batted his lashed at him.

"Are you mocking me, Blaise fucking Zabini?" The blond asked icily and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Of _fucking_ course, Draco, darling." He chirped and flopped down on the sofa he had earlier occupied together with Hermione. "So, what was with Potter's look?" He added in a normal tone, sounding a bit bored.

"Oh haven't you noticed, Blaise?" Pansy helped out when she saw Draco avoiding Blaise's eyes. "He was hot. You know, like, sex on legs."

"Oh, thank you, now I feel really loved." Theo complained sarcastically, but Pansy knew he was just joking. She leaned over, kissed Theodore's cheek and whispered something in his ear that a dirty smirk appeared on his lips. Draco and Blaise didn't even want to guess what just had been said.

"You fancy Potter?" The buff Slytherin asked, ignoring the married couple on purpose. "I thought you were over that obsession." Draco glared at him.

"I was." He barked. "I… I mean I am." He added hastily, noticing his slip of the tongue too late. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, not needing to see the grins on his so-called best friends' faces.

"And what about James?" Blaise jibed sardonically and watched with glee the discomfort of his friend. Yes, sometimes he could be an arse, but Draco and Pansy weren't any better. Theo on the other hand… well, sometimes if he was in the mood he could turn into the devil of scathing words. Blaise surmised that it only happened so far when he and Pansy had had a big fight and the woman had made sure that he hadn't gotten any in a while. So, he seemed to react rather badly to sexual frustration. He snorted.

"Oh, so you think it's funny?" Draco snarled and got up off the floor. "It must be highly entertaining to see your friend struggle with his feelings, mustn't it? Fuck you!" He grabbed his jacket of the sofa's backrest and went out the living room door. "I'm off." He growled and the last thing the other three friends heard was the angry slamming of the flat's door.

xxXxx

True to her word, Hermione had come up with a plan and that quickly. The next day when Harry had paid her another visit to tell her that, yes, he would tell Draco, if she guaranteed that he wouldn't die at the hands of his secret love, she was already able to present him the master plan.

At first the brunette had been a bit hesitant about the idea, cos it required some boldness from his side and that had actually been something he had ruled out from the very beginning, but after a while (and a lot of Hermione's powers of persuasion) he agreed to the plan. If it all would go awry he'd at least seen Draco partly naked.

What Harry didn't know was that Hermione had talked to Blaise and had told him about the little drama that played in front of them. At first she hadn't understood why Blaise had almost rolled on the floor in laughter, because she didn't found anything funny in the dilemma that hurt her friend so much. But when he had told her what had happened the night before, after they had left his flat, she began laughing as well, but more out of sheer happiness that her plan would definitely work and that Harry would finally be happy again. Hopefully.

xXx

On Saturday Draco mentally admitted that he was by now thankful that his friends threw him a small party. Last year he had felt lonely and unloved on his birthday, although he had brought it upon himself with forbidding any party.

They gathered in Pansy's and Theo's house and he was really grateful that the woman hadn't made her threats true, but kept the party small and limited to only ten guests. He had never been a fan of opulent and purposely extravagant receptions. The receptions his parents had held back in their days had been nothing more than self-adulation and he had dreaded every single one of them.

"Come on, Draco, open your presents finally." Blaise called, after they had enjoyed a delicious dinner and Draco's birthday cake for dessert. Pansy had thought it would be funny and had gotten him a cake in dragon-shape. At first the blond had complained that he was no child anymore, but everyone had seen the joy in his grey eyes when he had gazed at the cake for the first time.

"Okay, if you say so." Draco answered reluctantly, but the excitement he actually felt shooed him quickly over to the small table with the presents. Blaise clapped him on the back and smiled. Their little argument of last weekend had been solved already and there was no bad blood anymore. As if there would ever be, ha.

A small pile of presents lay on the table and without further ado the blond reached for the first present. The group gathered around the table to see Draco's reaction to the different presents.

"That's from us, darling." Erica, the wife of Gregory called and smiled warmly at him. Draco reached for the ribbon, but decided against opening it. He put the box down and looked at his friends with a grave expression. They all looked a bit uncertain about the sudden change of him.

"You all know," he began and held the gazes of his friends. "that I talk a lot about packing my job in, cos it drives me nuts. And sometimes I don't believe myself, cos I said it so often but never did anything." He could see the realisation in some of his friends' eyes and the small grins of some others. "Well, this morning I sent in my resignation and applied for an apprentice as a Potions Master."

Pansy squealed loudly and threw herself at the lithe and lissom blond, almost knocking him over into the table. "Finally. Finally! I really dreaded you'd never do it."

Hermione smiled knowingly at Blaise. Harry would dance for joy, when she'd tell him. He had told her that Draco had been really irritated by his momentary Ministry job and that he, Harry, slowly reached his wits' end how to build him up again.

When Pansy let go of Draco, Brian came over to him and hugged him, but less enthusiastically. "It's good you finally did it. Maybe I'll follow some time later." He said in earnest. Brian was the only real friend he had made over the last years in his department and they both weren't very fond of their jobs, what was probably one of the reasons they had gotten good friends.

Draco nodded with a relieved smile and sent Brian back to his girlfriend Samantha. A small part in him had feared that Brian would hate him for leaving him alone in the department and an even smaller part had been scared to death that his friends would turn away from him for doing something as stupid as packing his job in, but those little insecurities were finally quenched.

He looked at his friends, who stood in a semi-circle around him and chatted happily about his decision. And suddenly he felt again like the fifth wheel. Pansy and Theo were inseparable. Blaise had Hermione; not that long yet, but you could see there was something special about the couple. Greg had his wife Erica. Vincent had Adele. Brian had Samantha. And he? He had no one.

He only wrote letters with someone, who was probably all fake; and he was so pathetic and got off on the letters. If it would have been possible he would probably have dislocated his brain through thinking too hard about everything. Well, and Potter… he was Potter and therefore beyond his reach. Besides, he was probably straight as a pole and highly disgusted by the thought of getting off with another bloke.

"Draco? Draco?" Hermione called softly and Pansy waved her hand in front of his face. "Are you okay?" the former Gryffindor asked concerned and her voice matched Pansy's look.

"Yes, sorry, I'm fine." Draco said quietly after pulling himself out of his thoughts. "Just thought again about what I've done this morning."

The Malfoy heir began to open his presents, but Hermione and Pansy shared a look that secured them that they still saw the sadness in his eyes.

xXx

They stood in Pansy's and Theo's living room, in front of the fire place and said their goodnight's in the late night hours. Pansy promised to send in the morning a house-elf over to Draco's with all his presents he had gotten, when an owl flew through the window that Hermione had opened earlier, after suggesting that it was far too hot in the room.

Draco noticed it immediately as James' owl Severe and he couldn't suppress the grin that now formed on his lips. Severe landed on his shoulder and he missed Blaise's smirk and Hermione nudging him in the ribs. He patted the owl lovingly and untied the crème white envelope. Oddly enough, Severe didn't wait for a response, but took off again.

"From James?" Pansy asked teasingly and chuckled when Draco blushed adorably. The envelope bore the 'Strong Hands' emblem and Draco's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Only the first two letters had ever borne that sign. "Open it. I want to know what he's writing." Pansy demanded, and Draco wanted to tell her off that it was none of her business, but his fingers seemed to have a life of their own and broke the seal deftly.

A pale blue letter was found in the envelope and Draco pulled it slowly out. He didn't notice that his friends were watching openly instead of leaving for their own homes. James' letter was all that mattered at the moment. He had really believed that the other man had forgotten about his birthday although he had ranted and raved a lot about it. But he hadn't and Draco felt something in his stomach that felt like the proverbial butterflies.

He unfolded the letter and a small card, not bigger than a business card fell into his hands. It was black and on the one side the 'Strong Hands' emblem was embossed and outlined with a thin bright green line. The other side was adorned with the 'strong hands' name written with ink that looked almost golden, in James' scrawly handwriting that was somehow beautiful nevertheless.

_xxx__  
Hello Draco,  
I know I'm a bit late, but I wish you a Happy Birthday and all the best. May all your wishes come true._

_I'm sorry it took me so long to send you my birthday wishes, but I wasn't sure if my present would be such a good idea. I'm still not sure yet, but, oh well…_

_I thought about giving you something I can do the best – a massage.  
xxx  
_  
Draco's hands began trembling when he realised what that would mean. He, Draco Malfoy, would meet James and would get a massage from him. If he would accept the gift, that is.

_xxx__  
The business card is a portkey to my office. I've gotten my new table today and you would be the first to test it. Would tomorrow be okay with you? You don't need to work on a Sunday, do you? Send me an owl with the time, yes?_

_I hope you like my present._

_Bye, James  
xxx  
_  
Draco looked up from the letter and stared with wide open eyes at Pansy who stood right in front of him. "I… he…"

"Full sentences, darling." Pansy teased and received a glare from Draco while the rest laughed.

"I'll meet… James." The moment the sentence had left the blond's mouth his eyes widened again and he gasped. "Oh my god, I'll meet James tomorrow. I've to go now… need to send him an owl… what will I wear… oh god, should I really go…" He mumbled and babbled to himself. He grabbed some floo powder, threw it in the hearth and was gone without a word of goodbye.

His friends looked at each other with utter confusion written over their faces, except for Blaise and Hermione. The tall Slytherin cleared his throat to get the others' attention, and wrapped his left arm around Hermione's waist.

"I think, we should tell you some things about James." Blaise began and delayed the departure therewith a little more.

xxXxx

TBC

Thoughts?

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	4. A small introduction

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

**Warning**: NOT BETAD!!

**A/N:** Hi you lot! How are you doing?  
I wanted to thank everyone who's left a wonderful review so far. I know that it sometimes feels like a real chore to leave a small comment, but those of you who are writing as well, know how good it feels good to get feedback, even if it's just a small 'I sooooo need chapter…' I'm not referring to anyone here. Cough.  
Anyway… Thank you!

**A/N 2:** I've a small question; perhaps someone could be so kind and answer it for me.  
We all know that English is not my mother tongue and that I'm far, far from good, but some said it's acceptable, considering that it's not my first language. On the other hand I got a review that said my grammar is atrocious and makes it hard to follow the story that the reading fun suffers from it.  
Now my question: What can I believe? It's a bit confusing to get patted on the back and beaten with a stick at the same time. Not that I feel abused, eh? I just sometimes tend to exaggerate dramatically. Cough.

**Strong Hands  
xxxx CHAPTER IV xxxx  
'A small introduction into the world of Swedish massages'**

Draco ran up and down his living room; his hands shoved in to his trouser pockets that he wouldn't start biting his nails. His heart was beating unhealthily fast, his palms were sweaty and he hoped he wouldn't get sick, because he definitely felt like it. He looked at the clock on the mantle piece for the hundredth time in ten minutes and stood still in shock.

Only two minutes. Earlier, the time didn't want to go by and now it was flying by? He took his hands out of the pockets and pulled the business card out of his back pocket.

This was it now, wasn't it? James had told him to tear the card to activate it, after he had sent him a letter to thank him for the wonderful present and that he'd like to have the massage in the early evening. By now he knew he should have chosen the morning. He had all day long almost gone bonkers in nervousness.

Three hours had he needed to decide on an outfit that James wouldn't see anyway, because Draco would lie naked on the massage table, only covered with a small towel. When that thought had hit home, he wanted to cry. James would see him naked. What if he didn't like him and found him ugly? What if he would throw him out, the moment he knew that Draco was interested in him.

He had needed to take a calming potion, or otherwise he wouldn't have made into the evening. His eyes shot again up to the clock and he took the card between both shaking hands. With closed eyes he took one last deep, calming breath and tore the card.

With the well-known and likewise uncomfortable tug he vanished from his living room and landed in front of a black glass door that bore the 'Strong Hands' symbol at eye level. Did he need to knock now? Or got James a signal when he arrived? Maybe he should leave again. This had been a bad idea. Draco turned slowly around, knowing that he chickened out because the calming potion was diminishing, when the door opened and a young woman looked at him.

"Good evening. You must be Mr Malfoy, our special client." The small blond said and smiled genuinely with practised ease.

"Sp-Special?" Draco stuttered and smacked himself mentally. Malfoy's didn't stutter, no matter how nervous they were.

"Yes, of course." She said and stepped aside that Draco could come inside the practice. "James seldom arranges appointments alone, that's actually my job as his secretary. And he definitely never has appointments on Sundays."

Draco felt his stomach twist painfully. James had never lost a word about a secretary. Did he try to hide something? Brilliant, Draco thought, now he turned delusional. He focused back on the young woman to drop those irritating thoughts. "So, eurm, why are you here if he usually doesn't work on Sundays?"

"Oh, he asked me to come, to show you everything. Would you please follow me?" Draco nodded and the young woman led him through a big double sliding door into a spacious room with huge windows along the opposite wall. The massage table stood in the centre of the room and a small table with many phials, flasks and bottles on it, stood next to it.

A black leather sofa was pushed against the left side of the room and a coffee table made of stone stood in front of it. On the right side were only two doors. One was open and revealed a big bathroom. The room was plain and simple.

"Please take off your clothes when I've left. In the bathroom…" she pointed towards the open door. "you'll find a stool to leave your clothes on and a rack with towels. Please take one of the towels and lay on your stomach on the table. James will be around soon."

"Okay, thank you." Draco said quietly. The woman smiled again and left after making sure he had no further questions. Draco teetered into the bathroom and closed the door with shaking hands. The same shaking complicated it to undress with the usual ease.

He neatly folded his clothes and put them on the stool that stood next to the towel rack. The bathroom was tiled with black and white marble and the bathtub was a tad too big to recognise it as a usual bathtub. The blond grabbed a dark grey towel from the rack and gulped nervously. He so hoped that this wasn't a big, big mistake. He dropped his boxer-briefs and threw them on the small pile, before wrapping the towel around his mid.

Opening the door a tiny bit, he peeked outside and saw that he still was the only person in the room. He hurried over to the massage table and lay down quickly. This was all so surreal that he couldn't quite believe that he really was in James' practice and about to get a massage from the stranger he had somehow fallen for.

He spread the towel across his behind and let the ends fall over the edges of the table. It didn't take long until he heard a door open and his whole body tensed in… he wouldn't want to say fear.

xXx

Harry had, for about five minutes, stood, with his hand on the handle, behind the door and tried to get his fluttery nerves under control. With a well-tested breathing exercise, he even taught his clients sometimes, he got himself under control and opened the door that lead from his flat to his office.

He forgot to exhale when he saw the pale, slender body of Draco Malfoy lying on his table, with only the appropriate towel across his mid. He saw the tensing of the muscles and smiled – Draco was definitely as nervous as he self was.

"Good evening, Draco." He said quietly and astounded himself that he sounded so calm and unfazed. Draco made a move to look at him. "Please keep your face in the opening. First the massage then the rest, okay?" He asked gently and went closer to the table.

Draco kept his face down and pressed out a nervous "Okay." He stared down at the wooden floor and tried to calm his heavy beating heart. James' voice was a deep, comforting bass, almost lulling him into a state of security.

"Should we begin?" Harry asked and uncorked one of the bottles on the side table. A wonderful scent filled the room and Draco closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but it wasn't overpowering and wouldn't give him a headache. Warm, oiled hands landed on his shoulders and he twitched like a small animal.

"Hey, ssh, it's okay." Harry said soothingly and ran both hands over Draco's shoulder, spreading the massage oil further.

"Sorry. It's just a bit unsettling to get touched by someone I haven't even seen yet." Draco admitted meekly and felt his face burn in embarrassment. He heard James chuckle and groaned inwardly; he's already turning into a laughingstock.

"Did you have had a massage ever before?"

"Hmhm."

"Then just imagine I'm the other masseur and it's not that awkward anymore." Harry suggested and began to carefully knead Draco's shoulders. He felt the muscles beneath his fingers tense when Draco snorted and hunched his shoulders.

"That wouldn't work well. The first had been a masseuse that couldn't put enough strength in it – at least for my liking. And the second was a bloke that had tried to grope me." Harry's hands tightened in anger and purely by chance he hit a sore spot and Draco groaned in pain, but sighed blissfully when it ebbed away. He didn't comment on the former masseurs that had touched Draco and that the blond talked so light-heartedly about another man groping him. Instead he tightened his grip again and began with the massage in earnest.

He began with the Effleurage, his hands skimming over the pale back to get Draco used to his touches and spreading the oil from the shoulders to the towel that began barely above the buttocks. Completely engrossed in his job, he didn't think about where his hands were almost touching.

Harry used the light strokes to feel the tensions out in Draco's back and noticed that the blond's muscles were hard and stressed. He probably hadn't had a massage in a while and a desk job did that to you.

"You okay so far?" The brunette asked quietly and let go of Draco's back to pour more massage oil in his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." Draco answered, but frowned a bit. It was unusual that the masseur spoke with the clients while giving them a Swedish massage, so they could relax better, but Draco didn't mind. James's smooth and calm voice helped to switch off.

"You do know how this will proceed, right?" Harry heard Draco snort and smiled.

"Yeah, the painful part starts now, doesn' it?"

"It won't hurt." Harry replied with obvious amusement.

"Says the one, who'll inflict the pain." Draco snorted and heard James laugh heartily. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"This part of the massage is called Petrissage from the French pétrir and means 'to knead'." Harry explained and rested his hands again on Draco's back.

"As if knowing what you do to me, will make it any better." The blond joked and took a deep breath. He was no fan of pain, but knew from experience that a soft massage had no effect on him.

Harry began at the shoulders and grabbed the skin and muscles with both hands, altering between kneading and compressing movements. If you saw it with a twinkle in your eye, it wasn't much different to kneading dough. While kneading, the muscles were loosened through grabbing them with the hands and while compressing they were pressed to the bones.

Draco hissed when James found a particularly sore spot and cussed mentally when the man remained by the spot and tormented it until he seemed content. He worked his way slowly down to the towel clad behind, only to work his way up again with the same strokes.

The blond's skin was already an angry red, but Harry wasn't worried, knowing that skin and muscles were by now profusely supplied with blood. After a couple of minutes he loosened his grip and used the Effleurage to give Draco a small rest period. He skimmed with the flat of his hands over the back to soothe the muscles and prepare them for the next basic stroke.

He heard the relaxed and calm breathing of Draco and his mind switched for a moment from the professional mode to the 'just-Harry' mode. He saw the slick, glistening back, the slender hips, the two round mounds beneath the grey towel that virtually screamed to get touched…

Harry bit his lower lip hard to get a grip on himself. Business. This was fucking business for now, he admonished himself. Afterwards, if Draco shouldn't decide to bolt, he could perhaps gawk at him openly – and maybe even more…

His hands glided slowly along the sides of Draco's back, down to his waist, where he let them linger. His thumbs rubbed over the spine, until he found a certain spot. He circled the tips of his thumbs on the spot with slight pressure to soften the spot a bit and then intensified the pressure that Draco yelped.

"Your back is one big tension. Doesn't it hurt?" Harry asked and shook his head. He had many managers and otherwise stressed people on his clients list, but it had been a while since he had had such serious case. That wouldn't be solved with one session.

"Right now it hurts, yes." The blond grumbled. He lifted his arms and Harry panicked that he would get up and leave, but rested them under his face and kept his eyes closed, with his face to the windows.

Harry tightened his grip around Draco's waist and leaned down to his head. "I'll make up for it later, okay?" He purred and rubbed his nose against the soft skin behind Draco's ear. Malfoy tensed heavily and Harry heard his breath hitch. Hopefully he hadn't gone too far. He couldn't even tell what had come over him to do it, but it had felt right. His goddamn Gryffindor courage had probably woken up in that moment.

But you could partly blame Draco, couldn't you? Harry argued with himself. After all he was the one lying on the table, in all his glory, barely covered, right?

"I should hope so too!" Draco said after a moment in silence and Harry felt lightheaded for a moment, until he remembered that Draco was interested in James' approaches and not in Harry as Harry. He got a grip on himself and was determined to at least finish the massage. It was his job and it had been a present.

His hands skimmed again over the back, this time to look for certain 'knots' in the musculature. When he found one of those trigger points he used a thumb to rub them, like he had done before and intensified the pressure until he felt the hardening loosen. The problem with this so called 'Friction' was that he needed to thoroughly concentrate on the task or otherwise it could happen that he'd damage the muscle.

With his mind completely devoted to the task at hand, he didn't notice that Draco opened his eyes and peeked at him.

xXx

He had thought his heart would stop beating when James had sexily whispered in his ear and rubbed his nose against one of his most sensitive spots. He hadn't expected such turn, hoped of course, but it had been so sudden that he had tensed heavily in pure shock.

Finding his equilibrium back hadn't been that easy and had taken a moment or two. Hiding his nervousness and excitement behind serenity had been the only thing that had sounded reasonable to him.

So, he humoured James and came back with a witty response, although he knew that his tension hadn't gone unnoticed. He felt the hands on his back began their work again and found spots where his muscles seemed to be knotted. Getting used to the pain would have been exaggerated, but he tried to find some relaxation even with these ministrations of James.

His curiosity grew with every new thought that sprouted in his brain. How did James look like? The knowledge that the other man was interested in him in the same way as he was, accelerated the urge immensely. Should he dare a peek? James had said he shouldn't, but wasn't it more than unfair that James knew how he looked like even without clothes and he, Draco, hadn't even seen the other's face yet.

Oh fuck it, he thought and opened his right eye a fraction to peek between his lashes. For a moment he saw nothing, but knew that James was still there, because his hands were still warm on his back. He could see long, dark brown curls, when the masseur leaned forward and Draco couldn't take it anymore. He turned his head a tiny bit and tore his eyes wide open when he saw who James was.

"POTTER?" he screeched and pushed up on his arms that Harry stumbled backwards when Draco's back hit him in the chin. "What's this sick game? Where's James?" The blond roared and jumped off the table.

Harry stood about two metres away and felt his tender chin, but forgot everything in the world when Draco stood in front of him in all his glory and with angry raging eyes. "Potter!" Draco demanded again attention, but Harry was too occupied with roaming his eyes over the body that was perfection for him.

Draco followed Potter's stares to find out what had caught his interest to forget all manners and ignore him completely. His eyes travelled down and a shocked "Aaaah!" filled the air. He quickly picked the towel up and wrapped it around his waist.

Was Potter pouting?

"What the fuck's going on here?" Draco asked with renewed anger, but his slightly tinged cheeks reminded of the embarrassment.

Harry felt his chin again and opened his mouth a couple of times, but nothing hurt badly. He received another glare from the blond and didn't know what to say.

"Fine!" Draco huffed. "I don't need to take this shite. I've better things to do." Malfoy stormed over to the bathroom to probably get changed and leave, and suddenly Harry knew that everything would be over if the bathroom door would close.

"Wait!" he cried and followed the blond before he could close the door. He pushed the door open, grabbed Draco roughly and forced his lips on his in a heated, demanding kiss. At first he stared with his green eyes, full of hunger, into grey eyes, wide open in shock. But Draco didn't push him away that he gentled the kiss and slowly the eyelids fluttered shut.

Harry thought he might as well die that very moment, because it couldn't get more perfect when Malfoy's sweet, hesitant tongue rubbed against his own in response. But the moment was too quickly over and he began to curse the blond's conscious in every language he remembered, when it seemingly re-awoke and Draco pushed him away. Not too harsh, he noticed.

"What the…"

"I am James." Harry blurted out and tried to seal their lips again before Draco could process the words, but failed. Malfoy's mouth dropped open for a millisecond; at least he hoped it hadn't been longer, before he took a step back from Harry.

"You're having me on, right? Tell me, you have me on, Potter!" Malfoy demanded and glowered at the other man as if he wanted to slash his throat. Harry saw the pale, elegant hands clench hard enough that the knuckles turned white, but he knew he couldn't back out now.

"I. Am. James." He repeated, slower and quieter, and blinked at Draco as if waiting for the first blow. He heard the sharp intake of breath, but instead of the expected yelling, insulting and maybe even punching, filled laughter the bathroom.

xxXxx

TBC

I know you want to slander, or even worse slaughter, me right now. But to make up for this mean cliff-hanger I promise you manonman action in the next chapter, 'kay?


	5. This is your table now

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

**Warning:** Slash! If you don't know what it means, stay away from this chapter. Savvy?

**A/N:** Sorry, I haven't been so quick with this update like the last times. Have been quite busy.  
I wanted to THANK everyone who had reviewed the last chapter and especially those who told me that my English was/is okay. I really, really appreciated it. Nevertheless, someone helped me and looked over the chapters. I'll repost them as soon as I've looked them through.

**To cravedom:** if it's a… I'll call it 'medical massage', then Yes it is quite painful. At least if you're quite tense.

**BETA: arealdeal** (thanks again for your help and your suggestions. Hopefully they aren't wasted on me.)

Here comes the promised M/M. Hope you'll like it.

**Strong Hands  
xxxx CHAPTER V xxxx  
'This is your table now'**

"That's what I get for my naivety. I don't deserve anything better, do I?" Draco said shaking his head with a faint, sad smile on his face. That reaction hit Harry hard and he only stared at the blond with raised eyebrows.

"I hope you enjoyed your joke immensely, because it worked. I really thought there was someone who would like me somehow. Well, go and tell all your friends what you accomplished, that you made a total fool out of Draco fucking Malfoy." He spun around and grabbed his clothes that still lay where he had left them, on the stool next to the towels.

"Oh Draco, no, no, oh God no! I never intended to make fun of you," Harry pleaded in a fit of despair, wrapping his arms around Draco, not caring that the blond tensed immediately. "I really didn't know that you were you, in the beginning, but when I found out who you really were, I couldn't tell you that it was me writing the letters. I wanted you to get to know the real me and I knew that you wouldn't write to me anymore if you knew that James and I were the same person. Actually, I never lied in the true sense of the word because I am James, you know as in Harry James Potter…"

Draco yanked the arms away from his stomach and spun around so quickly that the towel fanned out revealing more than he wanted. "How dare you touch me like th… What?" He asked confused when Harry's rambling sunk in. The tall brunette sighed heavily and slumped down on the edge of the bathtub.

"I had no idea it was you, until you signed your letter with your name. I mean, how many Draco's do you know?" Draco smirked at that question and made an arrogant noise in the back of his throat.

"Exactly," Harry went on. "and if you're honest with yourself you know that you would have stopped writing me, if I've told you that James was just my middle name." Draco pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, but in the end nodded; Potter was right after all.

"I decided to use my middle name for my job and always glamour myself when working with a client. I think people would have beaten a path to my door, just to brag that they got a massage from their beloved Golden Boy." Harry sneered nastily when mentioning that name and Draco didn't need to strain himself to hear the disgust in his voice.

"I… I kind of started to like you a while ago…" Harry's face rivalled a beetroot and Draco mentally screamed 'adorable, adorable, adorable' over and over again. "and, then we were writing and it sounded like you started to like me as well and I… I didn't have the heart to end it. Your letters were the bright spot in my day"

A small sob escaped Harry and Draco frowned slightly having been caught a bit off guard with Potter's confession. With every fibre of his being, he had believed that Boy-wonder was making fun of him and enjoyed it immensely. Why was Potter all of a sudden the one who was upset, Draco was the wronged one here, right?

"Are you okay?" He asked hesitantly and there was no trace of anger in his voice anymore. He forgot for a moment that he was only clad in a towel and squatted in front of Harry Potter to look up into watery, green eyes.

"Yes, yes, sorry that I'm such a bother, now. It's just that this was Hermione's plan, after I told her about… eurm, the situation that I found myself in. Of course, everything goes wrong and now that you know who I really am, you'll leave and I won't see you ever again and you'll hate me even more and I think I can't… I can't…"

"Sshh." Draco tried to soothe him and ghosted his hand gently over Harry's left cheek. Brilliant!... he was the one who had been fucked over and now he needed to comfort his tormenter. Wasn't that a bit too weird to be true? Harry looked at him with a tiny, cute smile and he didn't know if he had leaned up or Harry down, but suddenly he felt the other's lips on his again. There was no way to compare this kiss with their first one, as it was on the opposite site of the spectrum.

While the other kiss had been passionate, raw and full of lust, this one was tender, hesitant and almost chaste. Draco was about to turn into a puddle of goo and pull the former Gryffindor with him onto the floor, but Harry had different ideas.

The brunette broke the kiss with an off-key squeak and jumped up, almost knocking Draco on his behind, who saved himself by grabbing hold of Harry's jeans. "Shit, I'm sorry. I know you don't want this. Sorry, sorry, so sorry." Harry babbled frantically and didn't notice that Draco used his clothes to pull himself into a standing position. His lips were again on Harry's, before he could start his babbling again.

"Draco?" Harry asked between kisses, too confused to respond the kiss. "Whadda you doing?"

"Kissing you?" Mumbled the blond; stating the obvious, while kissing the corner of Harry's mouth. He was once again pushed away, but this time Harry had used his hands and they remained on his upper-arms.

"I thought you hated me."

"You said you didn't know it was me." Draco reasoned as if that was the answer to anything.

"And you believe me?" The brunette asked surprised and allowed Draco to remove his hands from the other's arms.

"Shouldn't I?" Malfoy asked, drawing closer to Harry without hesitation. Hadn't Pansy said that he needed to finally find someone? Hadn't he said himself that he was sexually imbalanced? And now that he knew that James and Potter were one and the same person and he didn't need to angst about liking James and being attracted to Potter. Maybe this truly was a blessing in disguise?

OK, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead, surely he hadn't lost his charm, and he knew that he still had his looks, this was Potter for God's sakes, how picky could he be?"

Draco wrapped his arms over Harry's shoulders and sunk his hands into the long, dark curls that that felt twice as soft as they looked. He drew even closer and smirked with delight when Harry's breath hitched once he began to kiss and lick the brunette's neck. "Do you want me, Harry?"

"I… I… Dra-aa-co." Harry moaned when Draco's teeth sunk into the tender skin above his collarbone. So what if he had jumped Golden Boy, hadn't Potter done the same thing earlier? Why shouldn't he be allowed a bit fun for once?

"Harry?" Draco queried between licks, to soothe the bitten spot, and wondered how long it would take until Harry would relax a little. The young man stood like a statue in his embrace and held his hands a good thirty centimetres from the blond's hips. He leaned his head back and looked up at the brunette. Harry didn't wear those round, old, sellotaped glasses anymore and something clicked inside Draco's head. Green eyes fit perfectly into the image of James he had created in his mind and a spark shot through the blond. Harry Potter looked almost exactly like the dream man he had created with James'… eh, Harry's descriptions.

With a small smile gracing his lips he nudged his nose against Harry's chin and smiled even more when Golden Boy looked at him with confused, green eyes. "Hey, someone in there?" He teased lightly and squeaked rather unmanly when two strong arms wrapped around his waist and the missing hands landed on his towel clad cheeks.

Draco looked back up at Harry and saw the determination back in his eyes that had vanished when he experienced his little break down. "Don't do this if you don't mean it!" Harry pleaded, sounding very serious. The blond leaned up and brought his lips close to Harry's, who couldn't bear it and pressed their lips together. Draco chuckled at the cute quirk and rubbed his fingertips over Harry's scalp.

"Do you want me, Harry?" He asked again and felt slightly superior when Harry whimpered needily. Draco saw the small nod that probably was Harry's answer, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to hear it, hear what Harry wanted, how much he wanted it. "Tell me." He whispered and ground his pubic bone against the brunette's pelvis, only once, but it was enough to show Harry that, indeed, he wanted this and it caused all control to snap in Harry's head.

The masseur tightened his grip almost painfully around Draco's waist, but he wasn't complaining. Sharp teeth tortured the soft skin of his neck and he felt the pain heightening his excitement and his erection twitched in anticipation. "So much… so much… want you so much." Harry repeated and Draco's heart palpitated at the obvious honesty and arousal in Potter's voice.

"Then take me how you want."

Who, in their right state of mind, would deny such an offer? Harry growled low to release some of the pent-up tension and loosened one arm around Draco's waist to yank the bathroom door open. His secretary Simone was long since gone and he didn't need to bother about her walking in on them or hearing them.

He dragged Draco out of the bathroom like a man with a mission, but he didn't care. He wanted Draco – Now, and he wanted him badly. "Where?" The blond asked while they kissed sloppily, and shoved his hands under Harry's shirt to feel more of him, to memorise every small curve and dent of his stomach and chest.

"Table." Harry mumbled in return, shoving the smaller blond against the massage table when they finally reached it.

"Kinky." Draco chuckled and yanked at Harry's shirt to show him that he needed to take it off. The brunette obliged quickly, but Malfoy didn't get much time to admire the expand of naked skin when Harry took hold of his hips again and spun him around to bend him over the table. One big hand twisted in his blond strands making Draco moan lewdly. The second hand grasped at his towel and wrenched it off his hips. He seriously wondered how it had remained in place so long anyway. Only the hand in his hair remained and prevented him from turning his head to look over his shoulder. He arched his back to look more enticing and waited with bated breath and prayed that Harry was pleased with the sight.

Warm oil dribbled on his lower back and Draco groaned at the unexpected yet brilliant feeling of the slick, warm substance running over his back and down to his bum where it seeped between his cheeks. Harry's fingers ran with some pressure through the warm oil and the other hand disappeared out of his hair. He pitied the loss only for a moment, until Harry's fingers buried between his bum-cheeks and the first finger slipped quickly into his hole.

If he self wouldn't have been so aroused and needy, Draco would have chuckled when he felt Harry slowly humping against his leg. He seized the opposite edge of the table firmly with both hands and pushed against the intrusion that held silent promises for more to come. The blond felt the heat of Harry's body, when Golden Boy leaned over him and brought his mouth close to his ear.

"Moan my name." Draco thought he would faint when he heard the hissed demand and felt at the same time something brush against his arse when the brunette opened his leather belt. He heard the sound of the zipper and shuddered in anticipation.

"Ha-Harry, Harry, please." He looked over his shoulder, blond strands falling into his face, his cheeks red, his breath erratic, and his eyes locked with the green ones of Harry. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as did Harry's fingers. Draco saw misery in Harry's eyes, he hadn't seen earlier and he felt his heart sink. If Potter didn't want him it meant James didn't want him and he couldn't bear that thought. He had been pining for James ever since he knew him, even though he had denied it in the beginning to avoid any pain. But he knew he needed someone, not just for a one-off and Potter had somehow seemed… right, like a complementary antipole.

"Draco, I… I can't. God, I can't." The brunette whispered heavily and Draco hoped his lower lip wasn't trembling. The fingers, that had been preparing him, vanished and he subconsciously heard the rustling of fabric and the clinking of metal. Two strong hands grabbed his hips roughly and his arse was pulled against Harry's straining erection. Hm, maybe he had misread the signals… He bit his lower lip and looked once again over his shoulder.

"God, Draco, don't look at me like that. I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you, but I can't wait any longer." The blond groaned in response, but it was the first sound in minutes that wasn't made out of pleasure.

"Jesus sodding Christ. Potter, I'm not made of glass. If you don't hurry…" The tip pressed against his ring and Draco felt the first ripples of pleasure mix with pain. He bucked his hips and forced Harry's flesh further inside himself. The brunette groaned his name in utter adoration and kept his hips painfully still when he was completely sheathed inside of Draco.

Even though he had egged Harry on to hurry, it had been quite a while since his last sexual escapade and he was grateful that the ex-Gryffindor gave him some time to accustom to the impressive intrusion. At least it felt impressive. He slowly gyrated his hips and clenched and unclenched the concerned muscles.

Harry groaned at the squeezing feeling and began to gently rock against Draco, pulling his shaft slightly out and pushing back inside in the motion. "You feel so good." He mumbled and leaned over the slightly smaller man to kiss and lick a quite sensitive spot at his nape.

"Don't stop." Draco whispered and dropped his head on his chest and shuddered when Harry pulled the skin with his teeth. He ground his bum into his lover's lap and hoped he would understand the silent plea. The brunette's hands tightened on his hips and a smug smile appeared on Draco's lips when he felt the shaft slide far out of him up to the head. Just to keep calm and not cum at the simple thought of having Harry's prick up his behind, he counted the seconds until Harry slammed back into him and made him cry out… 3… 4… 5…

A steady rhythm that wasn't too fast or hectic evolved from that first thrust and made both young men break out in a sweat. Draco hissed a string of curses and begged Harry to keep that angle when he had found his prostate and a jolt of pleasure had run through his body. Harry obeyed willingly and kept the angle to successfully strike the small nub with every new thrust.

Harry's hands were still holding firmly on to his hips while he pushed him again and again against the massage table. He wanted to touch himself or get touched by Harry, but needed both hands to keep a tight grip on the table for leverage. "Touch me, Harry. Touch me." Draco pleaded longingly and tried at the same time to balance his weight on one arm to touch himself.

He heard a displeased grunt coming from Harry that probably should have signalled his disagreement and all of a sudden his hands were pinned to the table. Harry had let go of his hips in order to keep Draco's hands where he wanted them. The blond felt the strong body pressed against his sweaty back and moaned throatily when he felt Harry's hot breath against his neck and ear. "You won't touch yourself." He demanded breathlessly and Draco wondered for a short moment when he had gotten so cocky, that is until his prostate was once more grazed.

"Please." Draco whispered and couldn't care less that he was turned into a whiny mess. Having sex for the first time since a long while did that to you – he was too overwhelmed by everything and couldn't control his emotions well. He heard his lover chuckle right into his ear and he snapped his hips harshly back to avenge it. Harry growled, but obeyed and wrapped Draco's erection in one large hand, while the other still held both pale, slender hands firmly pressed to the table surface.

"I wanted you so much... so much." Harry whispered breathlessly into Draco's left ear and synchronised his thrusts with the moves of his hand. He pushed inside and his hand, on Draco's swollen shaft, went down to the root - with every pull his hand stroked upwards to the head. Goose bumps sprinkled Draco's skin when he felt Harry's hot breath puffing against his neck and he shuddered.

"Harry." The blond moaned and felt the called one's teeth sink into his skin what wasn't quite helpful in that moment. "I'm close... close."

"Every time I saw you in the ministry." Harry went on, trying to distract himself a bit from the way Draco had moaned his name. He slowed his thrusts and rode them fully out. His lover moaned his name again and he felt Draco's penis throb in his hand - he definitely was close. "Every time I got a letter from you. God, when you sent me your description of yourself I wanked myself almost raw." Harry moaned in memory of this and knew that Draco had reached the point of _'no return'_ when he groaned throatily and the muscles around his erection tightened even more.

He felt something warm running along the back of his hand and the knowledge that it was Draco's ejaculate was enough and followed Draco immediately.

The blond lay with his chest on the massage table and winced when Harry's penis slipped out of him. He had hoped they would stay close for a moment - not cuddle, mind you, but Potter didn't seem to consider that option. He felt hands running down his back, his buttocks, his thighs until Harry kneeled behind Draco. Moments went by in which he only lay partly on the table and listened to his and Harry's breathing.

Two strong hands, he hadn't anticipated, grabbed his hips suddenly and made him squeak shrilly. Harry lapped with his tongue at Draco's salty skin and the cum he had shortly before smeared on it; and followed the path, his hands had taken, the opposite way around up to the pale, firm bum that seemed to stick out only for him. He smirked smugly when he heard Draco moan, voicing the appreciation he felt for the devotion Harry gave his bum.

His hands tightened on Draco's hips and with one strong pull the blond, handsome man landed in his lap with a loud, filled with indignation, squeak. "Potter, what the…" Draco began to protest, but fell silent when he was pulled tight against Harry's chest and his neck was lovingly nuzzled. He snuggled against Harry's broad chest and sighed contently. He didn't like cuddling, not at all, he only did it to stay warm and not catch a cold… oh who was he kidding. His mother had always called him 'snuggle-bug' when he had been small – and he still was one.

"Do you know that you just cost me 240 Galleons and 16 Sickles?" (A/N: 1199,88 GBP) Harry asked softly and planted small kisses over Draco's entire left shoulder.

"What?" The young Malfoy heir asked, with audible suspicion in his voice. "How come?"

"Well, do you really think my customers will appreciate it when I massage them while sporting an obvious hard-on, because I think about you bent over the very same table?" He heard Draco chuckle and it was a beautiful sound to his ears. "See, I don't think so either. This is your table now."

xxXxx

TBC

The next chapter will be a short Epilogue.


	6. Three years isn’t such a long time, eh?

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

**A/N:** Oh wow, the last chapter must have been reeeeally crappy, cos I've only gotten like 3 or 4 reviews. For chapter four I've gotten about 20. sigh. Anyway, here's the last chapter. It's short and fluffy. I hope you like it.

**BETA:** arealdeal

**Strong Hands  
**xxxx **CHAPTER VI**** – Epilogue** xxxx  
**'Three years isn't such a long time, eh?'**

"You can't be serious!" Pansy exclaimed bluntly, successfully ignoring the looks of the other customers and the two employees. Draco on the other hand gave them an apologetic smile before turning back to his best friend.

"Will you quieten down a bit?" He hissed and straightened his neck-tie that he wore with his expensive, tailor-made black muggle suit.

"No, I won't." Pansy hissed much quieter than before. "This is what you've wanted for so long. Sometimes you were a constantly whining and complaining pain in the you-know-where and I had to listen to all of it. Pansy, I want this so much nag nag. Pansy, what should I do nag nag… And now you have the chance to finally be happy and you send him away?" Her voice had once again risen one octave and Draco winced visibly when his ears rung.

"I didn't send him away." The blond young man defended himself. "I just told him that I don't think that I'm ready for such a big step. After all, it _would_ change my entire life."

"That was the whole I.D.E.A.!" Pansy screeched, clenching her fists in despair.

"Are you all right there?" Hermione asked while poking her head out of the curtain of the changing room she was in.

"Yes, yes, darling, everything's fine. Draco's just being his usual self, a complete pillock." Pansy explained calmly and brushed non-existent lint off her purple blouse, while, once again, successfully ignoring the other customers and Draco's affronted glare.

"Oh, okay. I'll be done in a moment, okay? And be honest, will you?" Hermione said and her head vanished again behind the curtain. Draco turned in his seat that was, like Pansy's, turned towards the changing rooms, and looked at the slender brunette.

"I'm no pillock." He sulked and pushed his lower lip out into a pout that was adorable, if you hadn't been on the receiving end once too often – like Pansy.

"Perhaps you're not, but you're a total wimp when it comes to changing things in your life. One day this will cut you off from any chance of happiness."

"I am happy." Draco protested and felt his anger rising when Pansy didn't even care enough to look him in the eyes.

"Uhum. I'll remind you of that when you come running to me again and whinge about regretting your decision."

"For God's sake, Pansy, I haven't decided yet!" This time it had been Draco's voice that echoed loudly through the shop and caught everyone's attention."

The arrival of another customer was announced with the tinkling of a small bell that hung over the entrance. Everyone's attention snapped from Draco to the door and the tall, dark haired man that entered the small shop. He seemed a bit out of place in his well-worn trainers, jeans and sexy three day beard in the little white, pink, girly shop. Spotting Pansy and Draco a huge grin appeared on his face.

What were the women all goggling at, Draco thought and narrowed his eyes at the approaching form of none other than Harry Potter.

"Harry!" Pansy called happily and jumped up to hug the man enthusiastically. "Try to talk some sense into him, will you?" she whispered with a wink at him when he looked at her questioningly. She let go of the young man and took her former seat. Harry went over to the free seat on Draco's other side and sat down.

"Malfoy." He drawled, but his face held a warm, honest smile and his tone was far too soft.

"Potter." Draco answered sharply and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Harry's eyebrows rose and he began to understand what Pansy meant.

"Oh, someone's huffy." He teased and heard Pansy quietly snigger. "What's wrong Panse?"

"I am not huffy. And why do you ask Pansy instead of me?" Draco protested and crossed his legs to let his right foot bounce furiously.

"Cos you wouldn't tell me and she might." Harry reasoned and leaned over the arm rests of his and Draco's chairs to get close to Draco's ear. "You look goddamn sexy is that suit, you know that, don't you?" He whispered and brushed his stubbly chin against the side of Draco's jaw.

"Of course I know that." The blond said, probably trying to sound haughty, but it only came out in a breathy whisper. Harry's hand landed on his knee and squeezed it softly. His breath hitched for a moment, because he knew what Harry wanted when he touched his knee like that. Maybe they could… only for a moment… in one of the changing rooms…

"Could we come back to the topic on hand, or do you want to sneak off to one of the rooms to shag?" Pansy asked annoyed, but Draco heard the amusement in her voice that she tried to hide.

"Okay, so, how long do you think Mione will take? Blaise and Theo are already waiting at the restaurant." Harry asked with a loud huff and he saw that Draco wasn't too happy with the wait either. They hadn't seen each other for three days, because Draco had visited Snape at Hogwarts and now they couldn't even share a short 'welcome-back-I missed-you' kiss. Perhaps they should have chosen the changing room.

"That's not what I meant, but she said, she'd be done in a moment. Maybe the dressmaker here takes forever. HERMIONE?" Pansy called out and nodded, pleased when she heard Hermione call back that they'd be done in a moment. She turned back to the two young men and raised one eyebrow at Harry, who understood immediately and sighed heavily.

"What's wrong, Draco?" He asked, running his hand through his freshly trimmed hair.

"It's nothing." The Malfoy heir answered quickly, fidgeting in his seat so that even Harry knew that something was definitely wrong.

"Tell him." Pansy demanded and leaned back in her chair. "He'll tell you the same thing as I did."

"What do you need to tell me?" The brunette asked suspiciously. "You're okay, aren't you?" He added concerned.

"I'm okay. More than okay." Draco replied with a faint smile. Harry was so sweet when he was worried about him. "I, actually I… well, Sev asked me… now that I have finished my Potions training, if I want to become his assistant for my final training to become a Potions Master."

Harry's face lit up in pure joy and he wrapped the smaller man in a tight hug. "That is wonderful, love. That's exactly what you've always wanted, innit?" He felt Draco nod against his shoulder, but furrowed his brows when he heard Pansy huff in annoyance.

"Come on, Draco, tell him the rest and what you have to do for Severus." The former Golden Boy loosened his embrace and looked at Draco in expectation.

"I… he… he attached a condition to the offer." Draco confessed meekly and stared at his lap.

"Yes?" Harry asked tensely, growling in annoyance when Hermione chose that moment to step out of the changing room. Pansy squealed in delight and jumped up to have a better look at the white, flowing gown.

"It is so beautiful, darling. Just perfect. You'll be such a stunning bride, Blaise won't know what hit him." The girls giggled and Hermione allowed the dressmaker to fuss some more with her wedding gown.

They chattered a bit more and Harry used the time to get Draco to talk a bit more. He leaned on the arm rest of his chair and looked at Draco, who gazed appreciatively at the gown. "What's the condition, baby?" He saw the blond shudder and hoped he was only being his usual Drama Queen self.

"He said, if I take the job and become a Potions Master, I have to take over his position as potions instructor so that he can retire." To Harry, Draco sounded heartbroken and desperate and he couldn't comprehend why his lover was so crestfallen about such a wonderful offer. He took Draco's hands between his and rubbed them slightly when he noticed how cold they were.

"Draco, why are you so sad? Aren't you happy? This is the chance you've waited so long for. You've worked so hard these last three years to get this chance and fulfil your dreams. So, what's wrong, baby?" He saw the blond's lower lip tremble and knew Draco was close to tears. Not caring that they were in a muggle shop, surrounded by about twenty young women, he let go off Draco's hands to frame the blond's face and kiss him lovingly. "Don't cry, please."

Draco nodded between his large hands and sniffled miserably. "I don't want that job anymore, because it means I have to live at Hogwarts."

"And?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow and grinned when Draco looked incredulous as if asking 'are you serious?'.

"You can't be that daft, Potter. If I live at Hogwarts we can't see each other very often anymore."

"Because?" Harry asked with big, innocent eyes that he knew infuriated Draco immensely, when the smaller man gripped the chair's armrest tightly.

"Because I can't floo travel every night to my or your flat." He gritted out and prayed that Potter wouldn't ask more stupid questions, sitting in pink and white muggle land with an attentive audience.

"Draco," Harry said softly deciding to end this little torture. "we've been a couple for three years now, Blaise and Mione getting already married… don't you think it's time we move in together? If you want me at Hogwarts I'll go with you."

Draco stared at him with wide open eyes and stopped blinking for a moment. "You would do that for me?" He whispered hoping this wasn't just a dream.

"Of course." The brunette said as if he had been offended. "I love you, after all."

"What about your business?" Draco asked, still not allowing himself to believe his luck.

"Well, it's much easier for me to apparate or floo-travel every day to my practice than for you, with all the children you will have to keep an eye on during all times of the day and night. So, that wouldn't be a problem." Harry shrugged and suddenly found himself with a lap full of Draco.

"I love you, Harry Potter."

"Guys, I'm really happy that you love each other and all, but could we, perhaps, talk about MY wedding gown? You know I'm getting married in a week, don't you?"

FIN?  
(this was added by arealdeal because she thinks _#quote# it reads like the end, so don't forget the ever necessary FIN. #unquote#_ and she's definitely right!)

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Thanks for reading this little story and for sharing your thoughts with me AND for your encouragement.


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